The Ritual Altar is a new enchantment table-like block that can be used to "upgrade" other items or tools with special effects or abilities by imbuing other items into them, along with some experience, depending on how useful the upgraded item is.
The Ritual Altar would look something like this. Picture of the Basic Essence Altar from the Hardcore Ender Expansion mod.
Obtaining
The altar is found in a new room of the Woodland mansion, surrounded with cobble, redstone blocks, and torches. There is only one per mansion, and it is guaranteed to generate. To collect it you must use a pickaxe; it will not drop as an item if you use your hands or other kinds of tools.
Usage
The enchantment table is 3⁄4 blocks high.
It cannot be moved by pistons. If an enchantment table is placed on ice, the player will slide on it as though it is an ice block, just like slabs.
The interface of the Ritual Altar has three slots, one large slot in the center for the item you wish to upgrade, and two slots on the side for the items required to upgrade the item. In between these slots are intricate patterns, and at the top of the interface is the word "Imbue". This word can be changed by naming the Ritual Altar in an anvil before placing it down. Once you place an item in the center that can be upgraded, the amount of experience needed will show up below the slot, much like an enchantment table, and the patterns that surround that slot will begin to glow on and off, slowly. If the item cannot be upgraded, nothing will happen. To complete the ritual, one must put the required items into the side slots, and, provided the player has enough experience, an ominous noise will play, the top of the altar will begin to shine, and the patterns will begin to fill up, starting from the center and going out to both sides, much like the progress bars of the furnace and brewing stand. Once the process is complete, the item in the center will change to its upgraded counterpart, and can be taken out of the slot.
Upgrades
Withered Pumpkin
Created by imbuing a pumpkin with a wither skull and a prismarine crystal. In appearance, it is a gray pumpkin with black splotches near the eyes, which turn white when charging a special attack.
This pumpkin, when worn, has the ability to charge a beam from the head that damages enemies and inflicts them with wither. You activate the beam by holding shift and right click with an empty hand, while not looking at a block. If you look at a block after the beam has started charging, it will continue to charge. Releasing shift or right click will cause the attack to stop. The beam takes 5 seconds to charge, making a low rumbling sound that gets louder the closer it is to completion, and the player moves slower while it is charging. When fired, it makes a loud noise similar to the noises a Wither makes, and deals 10 damage to anyone who touches the beam, affected by armor but not by protection enchantments (which has a range of 50 blocks), along with inflicting them with Wither III for 10 seconds. This means that the overall damage the attack can do to an unarmored player is 30, or 15 hearts. The beam can still hurt players that are using shields, and can hit multiple enemies at once. The beam is only stopped by blocks. It does not effect Withers, Wither Skeletons, or Enderdragons.
After using the attack, a cooldown meter that fills up with a withered pumpkin icon will appear beside the hotbar. The cooldown lasts 30 seconds. Once the cooldown is active, you cannot take the pumpkin off of your head.
The pumpkin can still be placed, and retains it's enderman immunity abilities, along with its decreased range of sight.
Radiant Golden Tools
Created by imbuing a golden sword or tool with blaze powder and glowstone dust. In appearance, they are golden tools with a bright orange-yellow outline.
These tools all have a special ability activated by holding right click (you must not be looking at dirt for a hoe, as it will instead simply till the dirt), that will greatly enhance their efficiency, and make them not loose durability for a short while. For picks, shovels, and axes, the ability makes them break their respective blocks three times faster, and for hoes it will make them till dirt in a 3x3 area. The ability lasts for 20 seconds, and has a 30 second cooldown. Unlike the withered pumpkin, you can swap tools while the ability is on cooldown.
When used, the ability will continue to be active even after switching items. The amount of time left will be shown next to the hotbar, where ability cooldowns are also shown, with a golden pickaxe icon. The ability works across tools, so activating the ability on a radiant pickaxe and switching to a radiant axe will still be three times as effective.
Golden swords cannot be upgraded.
Magma Sponge
Created by imbuing a sponge with a magma block and a bucket of lava. The bucket stays after the ritual. In appearance, it is a brown sponge with small black holes. These holes become orange once filled with lava.
This sponge has the ability to instantly absorb lava around itself out to a distance of 7 in all directions, but won't absorb more than 65 blocks of lava (lava closest to the sponge will be absorbed first). Once filled with lava, it will no longer absorb more lava, but will now be able to do the same for water. Absorbing any amount of water will then revert the magma sponge to its non-full state, which cannot absorb water.
Bottomless Cauldron
Created by imbuing a cauldron with a wet sponge and a prismarine block. In appearance, it is a cauldron with a lower half covered in prismarine.
This cauldron acts as an infinite water source, able to fill both buckets and bottles. It will also hydrate any farmland in a 30x30 area around it.
Waypoint Compass
Created by imbuing a compass with an eye of ender and a feather. In appearance, it is an eye of ender themed compass with a white pointer instead of a red one.
Shift right clicking with this compass in hand will set the compass to that point, pointing there instead of the player's spawn-point. This can be done in any dimension, and being in any other dimension that the point is not set will cause the compass to go crazy, much like the normal compass does in the nether and end. The compass can be set to another point at any time.
By default, it is set to your spawn-point.
Tame Tag
Created by imbuing a name tag with a cookie and a potion of invisibility. In appearance, it is a name tag with a brown coloration and white writing instead of gray.
Naming a mob with this tag will make them neutral to the player if hostile, and passive to the player if neutral, but still retain their hostility towards other players/mobs.
It will still name passive mobs and bosses, but will not have any special effects.
Mobs named with tame tags will also keep name tags ability to make mobs not despawn.
I don't know about this. On one hand, it's seems pretty cool and has a lot of useful features. But the features are all very random. Enchantment tables all do similar things, no matter what they're enchanting. Ritual tables seem like melting pot for cool ideas
I don't know about this. On one hand, it's seems pretty cool and has a lot of useful features. But the features are all very random. Enchantment tables all do similar things, no matter what they're enchanting. Ritual tables seem like melting pot for cool ideas
No Support
I can definitely see where you're coming from, but I still do think it all falls under a theme, much like the other tables. Crafting tables make new materials out of several materials, furnaces change or refine materials with fuel, enchanting tables upgrade items directly, and the ritual table expands on and improves the functionality of an item/block. I suppose the Withered Pumpkin doesn't really fit too much though =P
I can definitely see where you're coming from, but I still do think it all falls under a theme, much like the other tables. Crafting tables make new materials out of several materials, furnaces change or refine materials with fuel, enchanting tables upgrade items directly, and the ritual table expands on and improves the functionality of an item/block. I suppose the Withered Pumpkin doesn't really fit too much though =P
I suppose you're right. The withered pumpkin was your first example so it sets the tone for the rest of the examples. I'd suggest you replace it with something that better fits the theme.
The other example that I especially dislike is Radiant Gold. We already can enchant golden weapons/tools, so I think it would be overkill to add more customization. The only way I could see it being added is if radiance as added to all weapons/tools.
Everything else though works. Maybe add more block "expansions" so it isn't so limited in features.
I'd also suggest that every "upgrade" also has a catch to it. Witches do this a lot in books and movies- "you will become a human but lose your voice", etc. Each would be cleverly related to the item. For example, if you use the bottomless cauldron 64 times a day, you get sucked into it (start suffocating in the cauldron) because you've been using it so much. It wouldn't be a common thing to run into, but would balance the ritual table and make a joke at the same time.
The Ritual Altar is a new enchantment table-like block that can be used to "upgrade" other items or tools with special effects or abilities by imbuing other items into them, along with some experience, depending on how useful the upgraded item is.
The Ritual Altar would look something like this. Picture of the Basic Essence Altar from the Hardcore Ender Expansion mod.
Obtaining
The altar is found in a new room of the Woodland mansion, surrounded with cobble, redstone blocks, and torches. There is only one per mansion, and it is guaranteed to generate. To collect it you must use a pickaxe; it will not drop as an item if you use your hands or other kinds of tools.
Usage
The enchantment table is 3⁄4 blocks high.
It cannot be moved by pistons. If an enchantment table is placed on ice, the player will slide on it as though it is an ice block, just like slabs.
The interface of the Ritual Altar has three slots, one large slot in the center for the item you wish to upgrade, and two slots on the side for the items required to upgrade the item. In between these slots are intricate patterns, and at the top of the interface is the word "Imbue". This word can be changed by naming the Ritual Altar in an anvil before placing it down. Once you place an item in the center that can be upgraded, the amount of experience needed will show up below the slot, much like an enchantment table, and the patterns that surround that slot will begin to glow on and off, slowly. If the item cannot be upgraded, nothing will happen. To complete the ritual, one must put the required items into the side slots, and, provided the player has enough experience, an ominous noise will play, the top of the altar will begin to shine, and the patterns will begin to fill up, starting from the center and going out to both sides, much like the progress bars of the furnace and brewing stand. Once the process is complete, the item in the center will change to its upgraded counterpart, and can be taken out of the slot.
Upgrades
Withered Pumpkin
Created by imbuing a pumpkin with a wither skull and a prismarine crystal. In appearance, it is a gray pumpkin with black splotches near the eyes, which turn white when charging a special attack.
This pumpkin, when worn, has the ability to charge a beam from the head that damages enemies and inflicts them with wither. You activate the beam by holding shift and right click with an empty hand, while not looking at a block. If you look at a block after the beam has started charging, it will continue to charge. Releasing shift or right click will cause the attack to stop. The beam takes 5 seconds to charge, making a low rumbling sound that gets louder the closer it is to completion, and the player moves slower while it is charging. When fired, it makes a loud noise similar to the noises a Wither makes, and deals 10 damage to anyone who touches the beam, affected by armor but not by protection enchantments (which has a range of 50 blocks), along with inflicting them with Wither III for 10 seconds. This means that the overall damage the attack can do to an unarmored player is 30, or 15 hearts. The beam can still hurt players that are using shields, and can hit multiple enemies at once. The beam is only stopped by blocks. It does not effect Withers, Wither Skeletons, or Enderdragons.
After using the attack, a cooldown meter that fills up with a withered pumpkin icon will appear beside the hotbar. The cooldown lasts 30 seconds. Once the cooldown is active, you cannot take the pumpkin off of your head.
The pumpkin can still be placed, and retains it's enderman immunity abilities, along with its decreased range of sight.
Radiant Golden Tools
Created by imbuing a golden sword or tool with blaze powder and glowstone dust. In appearance, they are golden tools with a bright orange-yellow outline.
These tools all have a special ability activated by holding right click (you must not be looking at dirt for a hoe, as it will instead simply till the dirt), that will greatly enhance their efficiency, and make them not loose durability for a short while. For picks, shovels, and axes, the ability makes them break their respective blocks three times faster, and for hoes it will make them till dirt in a 3x3 area. The ability lasts for 20 seconds, and has a 30 second cooldown. Unlike the withered pumpkin, you can swap tools while the ability is on cooldown.
When used, the ability will continue to be active even after switching items. The amount of time left will be shown next to the hotbar, where ability cooldowns are also shown, with a golden pickaxe icon. The ability works across tools, so activating the ability on a radiant pickaxe and switching to a radiant axe will still be three times as effective.
Golden swords cannot be upgraded.
Magma Sponge
Created by imbuing a sponge with a magma block and a bucket of lava. The bucket stays after the ritual. In appearance, it is a brown sponge with small black holes. These holes become orange once filled with lava.
This sponge has the ability to instantly absorb lava around itself out to a distance of 7 in all directions, but won't absorb more than 65 blocks of lava (lava closest to the sponge will be absorbed first). Once filled with lava, it will no longer absorb more lava, but will now be able to do the same for water. Absorbing any amount of water will then revert the magma sponge to its non-full state, which cannot absorb water.
Bottomless Cauldron
Created by imbuing a cauldron with a wet sponge and a prismarine block. In appearance, it is a cauldron with a lower half covered in prismarine.
This cauldron acts as an infinite water source, able to fill both buckets and bottles. It will also hydrate any farmland in a 30x30 area around it.
Waypoint Compass
Created by imbuing a compass with an eye of ender and a feather. In appearance, it is an eye of ender themed compass with a white pointer instead of a red one.
Shift right clicking with this compass in hand will set the compass to that point, pointing there instead of the player's spawn-point. This can be done in any dimension, and being in any other dimension that the point is not set will cause the compass to go crazy, much like the normal compass does in the nether and end. The compass can be set to another point at any time.
By default, it is set to your spawn-point.
Tame Tag
Created by imbuing a name tag with a cookie and a potion of invisibility. In appearance, it is a name tag with a brown coloration and white writing instead of gray.
Naming a mob with this tag will make them neutral to the player if hostile, and passive to the player if neutral, but still retain their hostility towards other players/mobs.
It will still name passive mobs and bosses, but will not have any special effects.
Mobs named with tame tags will also keep name tags ability to make mobs not despawn.
Advancement
Ritual Caster
Upgrade an item using a Ritual Altar
Icon: Ritual Altar
I don't know about this. On one hand, it's seems pretty cool and has a lot of useful features. But the features are all very random. Enchantment tables all do similar things, no matter what they're enchanting. Ritual tables seem like melting pot for cool ideas
No Support
I can definitely see where you're coming from, but I still do think it all falls under a theme, much like the other tables. Crafting tables make new materials out of several materials, furnaces change or refine materials with fuel, enchanting tables upgrade items directly, and the ritual table expands on and improves the functionality of an item/block. I suppose the Withered Pumpkin doesn't really fit too much though =P
I suppose you're right. The withered pumpkin was your first example so it sets the tone for the rest of the examples. I'd suggest you replace it with something that better fits the theme.
The other example that I especially dislike is Radiant Gold. We already can enchant golden weapons/tools, so I think it would be overkill to add more customization. The only way I could see it being added is if radiance as added to all weapons/tools.
Everything else though works. Maybe add more block "expansions" so it isn't so limited in features.
I'd also suggest that every "upgrade" also has a catch to it. Witches do this a lot in books and movies- "you will become a human but lose your voice", etc. Each would be cleverly related to the item. For example, if you use the bottomless cauldron 64 times a day, you get sucked into it (start suffocating in the cauldron) because you've been using it so much. It wouldn't be a common thing to run into, but would balance the ritual table and make a joke at the same time.
Partial Support